What’s New in iOS 11 for iPhone and iPad, Arriving Fall 2017

iOS 11 is on its way, and Apple announced a number of new features and changes at WWDC 2017 this year. From improvements to Messages and Apple Pay to powerful multitasking and file management on the iPad, here are the best new features of iOS coming this fall.

iMessage Apps Are Easier to Access, and Messages Are Synced Between Devices

The Messages app has a redesigned app drawer to make iMessage apps and stickers more discoverable and easier to use. These apps were added in iOS 10, but were hidden behind a button, which was kind of annoying. The new layout makes things much more accessible.

Your messages will now be stored in iCloud, too. All of your conversations will be synchronized between your devices when you sign in with your iCloud account. That way, you can delete a message on one device and it goes away everywhere. Messages remain end-to-end encrypted, even while stored in the cloud.

This also allows Apple to optimize device storage. Since your messages are stored in the cloud, they don’t have to all remain on your device. This means more free space and smaller and faster device backups.

Pay Your Friends Over iMessage with Apple Pay

Apple Pay will now allow person-to-person payments. It’s integrated right into Messages as an iMessage app, making it easy to send money while chatting. Money you receive goes into your Apple Pay cash card and you can send it to someone else, make a purchase with Apple Pay, or transfer it to your bank account. You’ll have to authenticate with Touch ID before sending money, just as you do when making purchases.

It’ll even try to detect when you want to use it. If you receive a message in iMessages saying you owe money, for example, the keyboard will automatically suggest Apple Pay as an option and automatically fill in the amount of money.

Lastly, 50% of US retailers will be accepting Apply Pay in the US by end of 2017, according to Apple.